1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber cable with a plug that guides light, a method of manufacturing the same, and a light source module including the optical fiber cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a kind of image examination method capable of examining the state of the inside of a subject (for example, a body) in a non-invasive manner, ultrasonography is known. In ultrasound examination, an ultrasound probe capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves is used. When ultrasound waves are transmitted to a subject from the ultrasound probe, the ultrasound waves propagate through the subject to be reflected on tissue interfaces. By receiving the reflected ultrasound waves using the ultrasound probe and calculating the distance based on the time until the reflected ultrasound waves return to the ultrasound probe, it is possible to image the state of the inside.
In addition, photoacoustic imaging for imaging the inside of a subject using the photoacoustic effect is known. In general, in photoacoustic imaging, pulsed laser light, such as a laser pulse, is emitted into the subject. In the subject, tissue absorbs the energy of the pulsed laser light, and ultrasound waves (photoacoustic waves) due to adiabatic expansion due to the energy are generated. By detecting the photoacoustic waves using an ultrasound probe or the like and forming a photoacoustic image based on the detection signal, it is possible to visualize the inside of the subject based on the photoacoustic waves.
For example, JP2009-31262A discloses a combination of biological information imaging using photoacoustic waves and treatment using an insertion needle. In JP2009-31262A, an affected part such as a tumor, a part suspected to be an affected part, or the like is found by generating a photoacoustic image and observing the image. In order to examine such a part more precisely or in order to perform injection into the affected part, sampling of cells, injection into the affected part, and the like are performed using an insertion needle, such as an injection needle or a cytodiagnosis needle. In JP2009-31262A, it is possible to perform insertion while observing the affected part using a photoacoustic image.
In addition, JP2013-13713A discloses a method of guiding light to the vicinity of the distal end of an insertion needle, which has an optical fiber inserted thereinto, using the insertion needle, generating photoacoustic waves in the vicinity of the insertion needle, and generating a photoacoustic image based on the photoacoustic waves. According to this method, since it is possible to guide light to a deep portion of the subject unlike in the method disclosed in JP2009-31262A, it is possible to check the insertion needle present in the deep portion.